Mountain View City Council Regular Meeting – June 24, 2025

The City Council convened a joint meeting with the Shoreline Regional Park Community and the Capital Improvements Financing Authority at 5:00 PM for a closed session, reconvening in open session at 6:30 PM. The meeting included an Immigrant Heritage Month proclamation, approval of a 21-item consent calendar, public hearings on the FY 2025-26 budget and a below-market-rate (BMR) housing modification, new business on water supply reliability contracts, and extensive unfinished business on the Gatekeeper Application Policy and R3 zoning densities. The Council also held oral communications and committee reports. The meeting adjourned at 11:32 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously (7-0) after Councilmember McAllister raised questions on items 4.4 (Grant Road intersection), 4.5 (Oktoberfest fee), 4.6 (Safe Parking success rate), 4.7 (McKelvey Park sight lines), and 4.9 (North Bayshore trip cap). Staff clarified details. Councilmember Hicks subsequently moved to approve all consent items including reading of ordinance and resolution titles. The motion carried, with the addition of the word "Green" not added to the Rengstorff Complete Streets Study title per staff explanation that "Complete Streets" already encompasses green elements.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mark Lynn Hansen (resident, crossing guard): Commented on item 4.14 (Rengstorff Avenue Complete Streets Study), requesting increased police presence at Rock and Rengstorff intersection for safety.
• April Webster, Mary Dadio, Bruce England (virtual): Urged that the phrase "Green" be restored to active transportation project titles and that green infrastructure be explicitly included in all CIP projects.
• Mike Meredith (virtual): Stated the building department is stretched thin by the city’s growth agenda, citing six fires in multi-tenant residences in two years.
• Andy Blank, Gavin Actemyer, Joshua Neitzel, Alex Brown (Alphabet Workers Union): Asked the Council to enforce the California WARN Act regarding Google’s April 2025 layoffs of more than 90 employees in Mountain View, asserting Google did not provide required 60-day notice.
• Alvin Carr (Sylvan Park resident): Requested monitoring of traffic patterns along California Street between San Antonio and Rengstorff.
• Bruce England (virtual): Supported enforcing parking restrictions in bike lanes on El Camino Real.
• Robert Cox, Leslie Friedman, Bruce England, Louise Katz, Manuel Salazar (members of public and representatives): Provided extensive comments on the Gatekeeper Policy (item 8.1), with some urging more public input and caution against bypassing the General Plan, and others supporting streamlined criteria but concerned about feasibility and displacement. James Kuszmaul (Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning) suggested refining streamlined criteria to avoid making them too costly.
• Peter Katz (Chamber of Commerce): Supported the updated Gatekeeper Policy with flexibility, but asked for no mandatory two-year resubmission wait.
• Lisa Matichek (former Mayor): Praised Water Resources Manager Elizabeth Flagle for negotiating changes to the SFPUC water supply agreement that would eliminate penalties for unused water.

Discussion Items

• Immigrant Heritage Month Proclamation: Presented to Mary Marinovich of Friends of Immigrant House. Council and public praised the work. No action taken.
• FY 2025-26 Budget & CIP Adoption (Item 6.1): City Manager McCarthy and staff presented a structurally balanced budget. Council adopted the budget, salary plans, and the two-year work plan unanimously (7-0). Councilmember McAllister asked about comparative council salaries; staff had not survey other cities.
• Modification of BMR Requirements at 777 West Middlefield (Item 6.2): Housing Director Wayne Chen proposed increasing income eligibility for moderate-income units from 120% AMI to 150% AMI and extending the vacate grace period from one to three years for qualifying school district and city employees due to high vacancy (93% for moderate units). Council approved unanimously (7-0). Councilmember Showalter and Ramirez praised the collaboration with the school district.
• Water Supply Reliability Contracts (Item 7.1): Water Resources Manager Elizabeth Flagle outlined two resolutions: amending the San Francisco Water Supply Agreement to reset minimum purchase quantities and adopting a Tier 2 drought allocation plan. The changes are expected to eliminate future penalties for unused water, which had cost Mountain View $15 million over 15 years. Council approved unanimously (7-0).
• Gatekeeper Application Policy (Item 8.1): Community Development Director Christian Murdoch presented a new policy (G-9) to replace prior practices. After extensive public comment and council deliberation, Councilmember Ramirez offered a substitute motion with amendments: 1) Restructure criteria into eligibility (size/density) and mandatory performance (trees/biodiversity, historic preservation); 2) Require one of four optional performance criteria (affordable housing, parkland/open space, community facility, sustainability); 3) Require study sessions at EPC and Council for streamlined projects; 4) Prohibit consent calendar approval; 5) Direct staff to evaluate future additions (mixed-use, ownership opportunities, safe parking). Councilmember Clark added all-electric building requirement in place of net-zero. Councilmember Showalter added safe parking as a consider for regular gatekeepers. The motion passed 6-1 (McAllister dissenting).
• R3 Zoning Density Reconsideration (Item 8.2): Council reconsidered 13 change areas previously designated for lower-density R3-D1 (50-75 du/ac). After an initial motion to study higher density (R3-D2) for four areas failed (4-3?), Councilmember Clark moved to study higher density only for change areas 4 and 5 (California Street corridors). That motion passed (6-1, McAllister opposed). The original March 25, 2025 direction remains for all other areas.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar Approved Unanimously (7-0): All 21 items adopted, including 4.6 (annual homeless response contracts extending Safe Parking through 2030), 4.7 (FY 2025-30 CIP), 4.9 (trip cap reports acceptance), and 4.14 (Rengstorff Complete Streets Study).
• FY 2025-26 Budget Adopted (7-0): Including appropriations for all capital improvements, salary plans, and the Council Work Plan for 2025-27.
• BMR Modification at 777 West Middlefield Approved (7-0): Income limit raised to 150% AMI for moderate units; vacate grace period extended to three years for qualifying teachers and city staff.
• Water Supply Agreement Amendments Approved (7-0): Both resolutions adopted, contingent on all 26 wholesale customers’ approval. Move expected to eliminate $4+ million annual penalties for unused water.
• Gatekeeper Policy G-9 Adopted (6-1): With amendments creating eligibility and performance criteria, mandatory study sessions, and a prohibition on consent calendar approval. Staff directed to return with additional criteria for mixed-use, ownership, safe parking, and resubmission definitions.
• R3 Density Reconsidered: Council voted to study higher density (R3-D2) only for the two California Street corridor change areas (4 and 5). All other 13 areas remain as lower-density (R3-D1) per March 25 direction.